Feed regulator and register



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. O. NEWMAN.

FEED REGULATOR AND REGISTER. No. 450,298. Patented Apr. 14,1891.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. G. NEWMAN.

EEED REGULATOR AND REGISTER.

No. 450,298. Patented Apr. 14, 189i.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM O. NElVMAN, OF ELLERSON, VIRGINIA.

FEED REGULATOR AND REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,298, dated April 14, 1891.

Application filed May 26, 1890. Serial No. 353,167. (No model.)

T (0% whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. NEWMAN,

'from the grinding-burr; furthermore, to provide means for varying the amount of grain fed to the burr and proportionately operating the recording mechanism, and furthermore for causing an alarm to be sounded prior to the cutting off of the grain and its delivery to the grinding-burr.

Other objects and advantages of the inven-- tion will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a milling apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line a: m of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail of a modified construction of feed-roll. Fig. at is a detail in side elevation and partial section of the vertical shaft. Fig. 5 is a detail in front elevation of the register.

Like numerals indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates the burr-case, and above the same is mounted a second case 2, communieating with the burr-case through an opening 3, formed in the roof of the latter and covered by a bearing=plate 4., having a central bearin 5. 4.

l5 designates the balance -=iron passing through the bottom of the case, and upon which is balanced by the transverse bridgepiece 7 the revoluble burr 8.

The roof of the upper casing 2 has a bearing 9, which is vertically above the bearing 5, formed in the plate 4, and in the bearings is mounted for rotation the vertical shaft 10, which below the bearing 5 is by a universal coupling 11 connected with a lower vertical shaft 12, the lower end of which is bifurcated. as at 13, and straddles or embraces the bridgeiron 7.

The upper side of the casing 2 is provided with an opening 14: at one side of its center, and in the same is seated a hopper 15, which depends into the casing and has secured to its lower end a horizontally-disposed cylinder 16, communicating with the hopper at the front end of the cylinder through an opening 17, formed in the lower end of said hopper. The cylinder 16 is provided at its opposite ends with axial bearings 18, and at its front end is provided with a depending feed-spout 19. A longitudinal shaft 20, is mounted in the axial bearings 18 and extends at its rear end beyond the end of the cylinder, and is there provided with a worm-gear 21 and beyond the same with a collar or Washer 22. A stud 23 is secured to the side wall of the casing 2 opposite and in alignment with the rear end of the shaft 20, and between the stud and the end of the shaft and the collar 22 is interposed a coiled spring 24, the tendencyof which is to force the shaft 20, whichis'loosely mounted in its bearings, toward the center of the casing. The shaft within the cylinder 16 is provided with a feed-screw 25 and has its front end terminating beyond the front wall of the casing and has mounted thereon a friction-disk 26.

27 designates a small friction-disk, which is splined, as at 28, upon the shaft 10, and is.

supported in an adjusted position upon the shaft and in contact with the friction-disk 26 by means of a lever 29, pivoted upon astandard 30, as at 31. The inner endof the lever is forked or bifurcated, as at 32, to loosely embrace the shaft 10 and takes under the friction-disk 27'. A collar 33, mounted upon the shaft 10 below the disk, serves as a'stop for limiting the depression of the inner end of the lever.

34c designates a bracket bolted to the side of the lower casing, and upon the bracket is formed a threaded boss 35,in which is threaded a screw-rod 36, provided at its lower end with an operating-wheel 37, the upper end of the screw being pivotally connected, as at 38, to

the outer end of the lever 29.

By reason of the universal coupling 11 the vertical shaft 10 is always maintained perfectly vertical during its revolutions, irrespective of any lateral .movements upon the part of the grinding-burrs, and therefore contact of the friction-disks 27 and 26 is always maintained. Proper frictional contact is also insured by the coiled spring 24, which forces the shaft 20 yieldingly to the front and its disk 26 against the disk-27.

By operating the adjusting-screw 36 so as to raise and lower the inner end of the same, and with it the friction-disk 27, said disk is adjusted to or from the center of the disk 26,

and consequently said latter disk may be driven at a greater or less speed in accordance with the location of the disk 27 with relation thereto, as will be readily understood.

A, B, (J, and D indicate the usual gears of an ordinary register, A being the main gear and driven by a pinion 39, mounted upon a shaft 40, journaled in the casing 2 in rear of the cylinder 16 and at a right angle to the shaft 20 therein, said pinion engaging and being driven by the worm-gear 21 during the revolutions of the shaft 20. The register E is of the usual construction, comprising the usual indicatingdisks representing peeks, bushels, and fractions thereof, as will be readily understood, said indicating-disks being visible through suitable sight-openings formed in the Wall of the casing 2. It will be observed that by reason of the connections herein described the faster the feed-screw 25 and its shaft 20 are driven the faster will the pinion 29 and the registering mechanism be driven, and said mechanism will register in exactly the proportion to the feeding of the grain.

4.1 designates a hinged pressure-board located in the hopper 15 and normally maintained projecting into the same by means of a coiled spring 42, interposed between the wall of the hopper and the leaf. The upper end of the pressure-board is pivoted to a link 43, mounted in an opening 44, formed in the wall of the hopper, and the outer end of the link is pivotally connected to the upper end of a depending rod 45, the lower end of the rod extending through an opening 46, formed in the top of the casing 1 and terminating in a recess 47, formed in the under side of the same and there provided with an alarm-bell 48.

The Weight of the grain falling through the hopper 15 serves to depress the lower free end of the pressure-board 41 flat against the wall of the hopper, which movement upon the part of the pressure-board elevates the rod 45, and with it the bell 48. When, however, the fall of grain is cut off or exhausted and becomes light ordecreases, the spring 42 is sufficient to project the leaf, depressing the rod 45 and the bell, and thelatter out of the recess 47 and into the path of a lug 49, located upon the periphery of the burr 8, so that slightly in advance of the stoppage of the grain the miller is notified and may promptly stop the mechanism at a proper time, so that the registering mechanism, which operates continuously with the feed mechanism, may not continue aftersuch stoppingof the grain.

The operation of the invention will be understood from the foregoing description, and it simply remains to state that the grain passing through the hopper 15 is carried by the feed-screw 25 to the spout 19, and is therefore delivered from the cylinder to the spout and by the latter into the usual central opening of the burr. In order to prevent the grain from getting in the bearings of the balanceiron and between the lower end of the shaft 12 and the bridge-iron 7, I provide said shaft with a disk 50 slightly above its lower end,

so that any grain falling through the opening in the burr and in proximity to the shaft will be caught by said disk, which, it will be understood, is being rapidly rotated, and will be thrown by centrifugal force from the same to the side of the opening in the burr and permitted to pass down through said openingin close proximity to the side.

When using grinding-rolls for the purpose of grinding wheat, I employ in lieu of the Worm 25 a corrugated roll,'as shown in Fig. 3. 51 designates the roll, which I mount upon the shaft 20, and the same is in other respects provided with the contrivances heretofore described, and illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The substitution is made by reason of the fact that in grinding wheat the grain is delivered to the rolls in a steady stream. The corrugated roll, therefore, as its several corrugations are successively brought under the hopper receives in each corrugation a sufficient quantity of grain for a single delivery. It will also beunderstood that the apparatus is to be provided with a suitable shaking-screen and what other accessories are necessary to adapt the apparatus for the purposes in view, such changes being within the skill and intelligence of the or dinary millwright.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a regulating mechanism for mills, the combination, with a casing, of avertical shaft mounted in the casing, means for rotating the same, a hopper located at one side of and de= pending into the casing, a feed shaft provided with feeding devices arranged under the hop per, and driving connections between the feedshaft and vertical shaft, substantially as specified.

2. In a regulating mechanism for mills, the combination, with a casing, of a vertical shaft mounted in the casing, means for rotating the same, a hopper located at one side of and depending in to the casing, a feed-shaft provided with feeding devices arranged under the hopper, and adjustable driving connections be tween the feed-shaft and vertical shaft, sub stantially as specified.

3. In a regulating mechanism for mills, the combination, with a feed-shaft provided with a worm and a gearing for operating the same, of a register comprising a train of gearing, one of which is engaged and driven by said worm, substantially as specified.

4. In a regulating mechanism for mills, the combination, with a hopper, a feed-screw, and a friction-disk, of the casing for the same, upper and lower bearings, a vertical shaft journaled in the bearings, a friction-disk mounted thereon, a revolving burr located below said vertical shaft and provided with the usual bridge-iron spanning its opening,

' a lower vertical shaft mounted in said opening connected with the bridge-iron, and a universal connection between the adjacent ends of the two vertical shafts, substantially as specified.

5. In a regulating mechanism for mills, the combination, with a burr having the usual opening and bridgeirons, of a vertical shaft bifurcated to straddle the same, a hopper located above the burr, a feed-shaft, connections between the feed-shaft and vertical shaft, a cylinder inclosing the shaft and having a spout depending into the opening of the burr, and a disk secured to the vertical shaft above its bifurcated end, substantially as specified.

6. In a regulating mechanism for mills, the

, combination, with the hopper, the longitudi- .nal cylinder, the feed-shaft mounted in the cated at one side of the feed-shaft, a lever.

pivoted thereon and taking under the friction-disk of the vertical shaft, a bracket having a threaded boss located at the opposite end of the lever, and a set-screw mounted in the boss and connected pivotally with the outer. end of the lever, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in 1 presence of two witnesses.

WM. 0. NEWMAN. Witnesses:

E. G. SIGGERS, J. H. SIGGERs. 

